Efficient hydrogen production of phosphonitrilic-bridged metal porphyrin porous covalent organic polymer with a push-pull motif

Rational design of efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts, constructed with earth-abundant elements, is critical for developing sustainable alternative energy sources. Herein, two phosphonitrilic-bridged metal porphyrin porous covalent organic polymers (COPs) were developed for HER. Compared to CoTPP-PCTCOP, NiTPP-PCTCOP exhibits relative low overpotentials of 140 to reach 10 mA cm-2 for HER in alkaline medium, which is comparable to many previously reported state-of-the-art electrocatalysts. The enhanced HER activity of NiTPP-PCTCOP is associated with its chemical composition and special push-pull structure. Long-term stability analysis of NiTPP-PCTCOP shows that the current density exhibits no obvious deactivation over a long time test. This work demonstrates an effective technique to develop promising HER electrocatalysts, highlighting its advantages by combing phosphonitrilic chloride trimer with metal porphyrins.

Automated summary

This study developed two phosphonitrilic-bridged metal porphyrin porous covalent organic polymers (COPs) for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Compared to previously reported state-of-the-art electrocatalysts, NiTPP-PCTCOP exhibits relative low overpotentials in alkaline medium and shows long-term stability.